THE FLATLEY DRYER

[Stanley]

But you should always read the labels Maz. Processors have a nasty habit of changing ingredients if you don't keep an eye on them! Here in the UK this is going to get more important because of Brexit. Many ingredients came via the EU and may become scarce or too expensive.
That reminds me, has anyone seen a Holland's Pie in Barlick recently? I never seem to see their vans now.

[PanBiker]

Maybe our artisan pie maker Miles has given them too much competition?

[Tripps]

has anyone seen a Holland's Pie in Barlick recently?

That's a timely reminder. I'll add some to my Morrisons order for Thursday. Hollands Pies and Puddings

[Tizer]

Processors have a nasty habit of changing ingredients if you don't keep an eye on them!

Yes, and like Maz with her garlic problem I get caught out by them adding spices and pungent herbs in branded products that had none or insignificant amounts before. It was maddening when fish & chip shops started putting a lot of paprika in their fish batter.

[Stanley]

Perhaps the infamous 'secret recipes' used in things like Lea and Perrins and KFC batter are the only safe places left as regards changes.
I never forget your handicap Peter. Especially when I am tweaking Ian by ordering 8 litres of Lea and Perrins.... I am so lucky.
But having said that, things change over the years, I love peanuts but find of late that I have to be careful when I ingest them. If I do it after a meal now it does weird things to my 'transit times' so peanuts as a snack after tea is now Flatley Dryer country! As a mid afternoon snack they are fine so I still get the variety in my diet but later on they are now a no-no.

[Big Kev]

The effects of nuts are a bonus for a low carb diet

[Stanley]

I'll try to remember that when I am managing my reactions!

[Marilyn]

No-one wants to be up at 3am on the loo!

[Stanley]

Maz, it's OK if that is the time you get up anyway.....

[Stanley]

Does anyone remember the days before automatic ticket machines on public transport when the conductor had a wooden bar with spring clips on that held bunches of this cardboard tickets of different denominations. Slung round there neck was a simple punch that clipped the ticket on the side in a way that showed where you had got on. I seem to remember a white one which was a 'Tuppeny Transfer'. There were workman's tickets also.
Shortly after the war, these old tickets were superseded by the automatic machine that had a roll of paper in it. The conductor dialled in the type of ticket with what looked just like the circular dial on a telephone and then would the handle which printed the ticket which was then torn off and handed to you.
Roaming round the network were 'bus inspectors' who travelled on different vehicles and checked tickets to make sure nobody was evading paying the proper fare.
All Flatley Dryer country now.

[Stanley]

Looking at the possible effects of Brexit that are rushing to meet us at the end of the year I remember the great 'Buy British' campaign of the 50s and 60s. What's the betting we are going to see something similar very soon? Expect a rash of Union Flags on labels!

[Stanley]

Part of the war advertising was government warnings about 'The Squanderbug' as wages rose.



Today of course this advice is Flatley Dryer country. Exactly the opposite message is being given now, we are encouraged to spend 'to support the economy'. Problem is of course that many people simply haven't got the money.....

[Stanley]

See THIS for an explanation of the origins of Mr Chad.



Mr Chad was everywhere during the war, chalked on walls, in newspapers and even in advertising. He was so easy to draw and the caption was always the same; "Wot! No......" and then insert anything that came to mind.
Flatley Dryer country but I think we need him again today.

[PanBiker]

I like the explanation.

[Tripps]

Other 'explanations' are available Mr Chad

[Stanley]

I've just been reviewing the posts and chanced on the reason why my Avometer is so called. Amps, Volts Ohms!

[chinatyke]

Good one. Never thought about it. Mine is called a multimeter - Many Users Like Testing It.

[Stanley]

How come I didn't know that? Funny how these things resolve themselves.

[PanBiker]

That's an analogue Mk V Heavy Duty, ranged for valves. About 1960 vintage and not very heavy duty really at only 10A maximum. Do you have the leather case as well Stanley?

My meter of choice was the later Model 8, I had one ranged for valves and then they updated the ranges to cover early digital devices. Not long after you needed a meter with a full digital display that could handle the small variations you were looking for. I have a Beckman bench meter that ticks all those boxes.

[PanBiker]

Do you have the leather case as well Stanley?

Just seen Shed Matters and seen your AVO case. Maybe this is why they could claim Heavy Duty.

Standard case was leather.

[Stanley]

I never had the leather case. Years earlier I had seen the Ferrorograph depth sounder box in a dustbin in Gargrave and rescued it. With some cut out foam insulation it made the idea way of looking after the Avometer.
I bought it originally for one reason. To stop the constant attacks on me at the mill by one disgruntled man on the Barber Knotter who had wanted a relation to get the engineer's job. You've all heard that story.
Using the meter I proved that it was historical incompetence that was causing all the problems, I got a good Sparks in (Was it Ellison?) put the right resistors in the alternator exciter circuit and gave the buggers 440V 3 phase instead of less than 400V. Cue panic as the Barber Knotter Machine went berserk and failed. It had been neglected for years and had to be completely rebuilt and refurbished. Next time I put the shed lights on I think I blew about 50 250watt bulbs but luckily I had some in stock I had bought from the fairground people for peanuts. The weavers voted me flavour of the month, they had never had such good light in the shed.
That was the Avometer's moment of glory. It never reached those heights again!

[PanBiker]

Retribution also for the whinger.

[Stanley]

In spades! He never spoke to me again. His neglect of his machine had been hampering the twisting department for years. See this LINK and notice it says a good man could do over 30 warps a day. Our machine ran so slowly it rarely did more then three or four!
The real source of the problem was the rotary converter that reduced the 230V Ac to 12V DC It was only getting about 190V and I doubt if the output would be much above 9V because of reduced speed. Today I suspect that wouldn't happen with digital control.

[PanBiker]

Modern switched mode power supplies can cater for quite a wide range of variable input voltages and still maintain the correct output, up to a point. Much more resilient than their linier equivalent circuitry.

[Stanley]

The Avometer and getting the alternator to deliver 440V AC on 3 phase also cured another problem.
Wednesday was 'making up day' in the office and they used a very early calculator with an electronic display. I always had to switch the office circuit on to the mains as the decimal point floated on my leccy! Once I made the adjustment those days were gone and Sidney could use his calculator any time he needed it!
There was one more adjustment that had to be made. You may have wondered why I didn't know the output was so low from the alternator. It was because over the years, as the resistances in the exciter circuit deteriorated, George had compensated for it by adjusting the big voltmeter on the control panel to read 440V. I think he thought he was adjusting the output! So the last job after the change was to calibrate the voltmeter on the panel to agree with what the Avometer was telling me. From then on I could run the alternator to strictly 50 cycles by engine speed and adjust the voltage with the variable resistor in the exciter circuit. Everything in the mill benefited!